They were the bravest of the brave.

And now charity volunteers have restored the graves of two Huddersfield war heroes.

They have spent hours working on the graves of Victoria Cross holders Harry Coverdale and Ernest Sykes.

It is part of a national campaign by the Victoria Cross Trust to honour those who have earned the country’s highest military honour. They aim to clean up to 700 graves across the country.

Gary Stapleton, chairman of the Trust, said: “We had a small grant from the Government to work on the graves of those from World War I.

“It is specialised work as we cannot use chemicals or sandblasting, and we use super-heated steam to clean the stones. People appreciate it and we have already had thanks from people in Huddersfield. These are their heroes and we ought to remember them”.

Sgt Coverdale, who won the Victoria Cross at Passchendaele in 1917, is buried alongside his wife in Edgerton cemetery.

His VC was awarded after he killed three German snipers, then rushed two machine-guns, killing or wounding the teams. Later he went out again with five men to capture a gun position, but when he saw a considerable number of the enemy advancing, withdrew his detachment man by man, he himself being the last to retire.

Pte Sykes’ final resting place is in Lockwood Cemetery. He was awarded the Victoria Cross in Arras, France in April 1917, for saving the lives of badly-wounded comrades.

Both men returned to live in Huddersfield after their heroic efforts in The Great War.

Sgt Coverdale, who lived with his wife Clara in Ingfield Avenue, Dalton, was brought up in Manchester and enlisted in September 1914. He served with the Manchester Reginent and saw active duty at Gallipoli, the Somme and Passchendaele.

He was later promoted to 2nd Lieutenant.

In civilian life, he moved to Huddersfield in the early 1920s and went to work at Joseph Lumb & Sons at Folly Hall Mills in Huddersfield, as an engineer, while also serving as an officer in the town’s Home Guard in WWII.

His wife died in 1940 and Mr Coverdale died on November 20, 1955, aged 67.

Pte Sykes was honoured after his battalion was held up by intense fire from front and flank, and suffered heavy casualties. Despite the firefight, Pte Sykes went forward and brought back four wounded. He then made a fifth journey and remained out under conditions which appeared to be certain death, until he had bandaged all those too badly injured to be moved.

During the Second World War Sykes returned to serve with the 25th Battalion West Riding Home Guard. He lived in Lockwood and died in August 1949, after many years working for the railways.